KE*A*H** (Psalm 69)

Hard but hard

Hat mich schon sehr geprägt. Die und die "Houses of the Molé".

Dachte immer, die wären gar nichts für mich, fand es aber ganz solide. Die Stimme ist aber nicht so meins, werde ich mir daher nicht nochmal geben.

For something calling itself "speed metal" every song sure felt like a slow drag. If you're just going to keep repeating the same bar, maybe you don't need to make every song 5 minutes long?

I already knew and loved Jesus Built My Hotrod, which benefits from welding some psychobilly into the industrial metal. The rest is not quite as much fun but some of the riffs are good enough for the repetition to be absorbing rather than frustrating, particularly Just One Fix and Scare Crow. The title track is pretty silly. This is somewhere between a three and a four for me, but there might not be many metal albums I like more so I'm going to go with four stars

Not for me. At least not in my current mood, I can imagine there might be a time I’d enjoy it more, like maybe on a run. But today I really struggled to get through it. (1.5 stars)

Nope

Ummmmm…no thank you.

Music by which members of the death cult furiously flagellate.

I like the psychobilly groove and the dark creepy vibe with the whole Aleister Crowley occult stuff. All that layered on what is essentially old school speed metal. Quite the experience, cool album.

So Ministry's final studio album is coming out next week. Maybe. I'm not exactly sure, because Ministry has had multiple "final studio albums" over the past two decades. It's certainly been a long road for singer/songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist Al Jourgensen and his ever-changing lineups, moving away from synth-pop early on to become a pioneering industrial metal act. In that pivot, the band's artistic peak came from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s, namely The Land of Rape and Honey, The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste, and this one, Psalm 69, the band's most commercially successful record. With that in mind, I sat down, listened to this album, and... it's okay, I guess? It's not like I hate Ministry, and I certainly recognize how integral they were to industrial metal as a whole. At the very least, I generally enjoyed the first half of this record. I will stick up for "N.W.O.", "Just One Fix", "Hero", and "Jesus Built My Hotrod" with Butthole Surfers vocalist Gibby Haynes as the highlights, showcasing the open embrace of hedonism that Ministry can effectively indulge in at their best amidst the crunchy, downtuned guitars and punchy rhythm section. I even liked the intensity in the frenetic guitar-picking and Al's filtered vocals of "TV II", even if I feel that the whiplash stop-and-go nature of the composition doesn't quite do the track justice. Unfortunately, the pacing of this record drops significantly in the second half, with songs that tend to drag and go on for longer than they need to. Across the eight-minute "Scare Crow", the five-and-a-half-minute title track, and bassist/producer Paul Barker's instrumental compositions "Corrosion" and "Grace", the focus is squarely placed on a double-edged sword of Ministry's music - the reliance on sampled dialogue, mainly from movies, save for then U.S. President George H.W. Bush's speeches during the onset of the Gulf War for "N.W.O." I didn't mind the use of samples in the first half of the album, as they were meaningfully used to help add context without slowing down the momentum. But with the songs in the second half, the pace is actively slowed down just to put the samples in focus, and it doesn't work as effectively. At least the sample usage here is not as bad as later Ministry records, but it does stick out in an uncanny light. At the end of the day, Psalm 69 is a fine-ish record that certainly started strong. It did its job in helping cement Ministry as a household name, which is about as much as could be hoped for. Now I wait for that final record from them and see if it is truly the last record from them.

I thought it was pretty solid but probably will not listen again.

Mám rád tento album. Máločo z EBM ma chytilo natoľko, ako toto.

an album with a one hit wonder. otherwise repetitive and kinda edgy. didnt age too well

Sometimes I thought this had promise but I didn't enjoy it more than I enjoyed it

I can understand why this has the score it has, and I was really not expecting to enjoy it at all. But I don't know, it managed to scratch just the right itch.

This is not my style of music but I could still hear the musicality and I found myself happily listening. I understand why other people enjoy it.

I don't know about this. Jake likes them more than I do.

STATUS: BANGER Sounds exactly like what you would expect from the album cover. It's an early 90s thrash metal album and it's not supposed to sound good. It's anger incarnate and the subject matter is whatever the fuck Ministry wants it to be. It's loud, it's fast, it's aggressive, and it's fucking pissed. I personally love early thrash and this album had some really good licks scattered throughout. The psychobilly experimentation is also pretty interesting throughout and definitely adds to the fast-paced, about-to-lose-control vibe in some songs. I fully acknowledge it's not for everyone and people with fragile music taste have already dismissed what this album is by song three or "TV II". Metal heads probably made it through "Jesus Built My Hotrod" (LOL at that song name). Industrial and speed metal lovers are feasting. It's a perfect industrial metal album and you can hear the influence picked up and built upon from Ministry's contemporaries: Slayer, Pantera, and Metallica. Did this band influence Rob Zombie? I have no idea. - A quick google search shows that they both worked at the same time to evolve the "industrial metal" genre. Be sure to dinga-ding-dang your danga-long-ling-long. 9/10.

Woot

My mind says 4 but my angry fire within? is that what it is? says 5.

good music, the rests in hero were cool but it kinda reminded me of a demonic zombie movie. the whole thing feels a bit like a mockery of Christianity. it sounds cool but also mega demonic. and for that reason, im out

RATING: 7.5/10 HIGHLIGHT: Jesus Built My Hotrod LOWLIGHT: Scare Crow

This was fine. I like the industrial metal sound, it just was very repetitive. 3/5

10/13 HOLY SHIT! This is badass!

Blast from the past. Jesus Built my Hot-Rod will always be fun, but there's a fair piece of filler here as well.

BAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAM! RRRRAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH! BAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAM! FIVE GOD DAMN STARS!

8/10 So it turns out Ministry is a weird hole in my musical knowledge. An industrial metal band whose most highly regarded output came between the late 80s and early 90s should be right in my wheel house, but I can’t say I’ve ever knowingly listened to them before, so getting to go into this album completely blind was a pretty good start to the day. The band are regarded as pioneers of industrial rock and metal having weirdly begun life as a synth-pop band, and this is their fifth record, considered by some to be their creative peak. The first thing that jumped out about this record is how much drive and energy the band put into the work which, when combined with the gritty, grubby approach to production, is a heady and oppressive mix. There is quite a lot of use of repetition throughout, but it is delivered with a relentlessness and an appreciation for sound design that keeps things feeling fresh. There is also a deft structural approach, in which elements are teased in and faded out, and aspects like lead guitar lines and sound effects used to broaden the musical content of each track. I’m going to be quite interested to look back on some of Ministry’s earlier work, because there are a lot of hallmarks of some great bands scattered across this record, from almost groove metal sequences, reminiscent of Pantera, to those more akin to a Metallica-esque thrash metal style. It would be interesting to see how much Ministry inspired or were inspired by their contemporaries in that regard. One of the closest bands I know of to some of the sounds on here are actually White Zombie and Rob Zombie, though Ministry’s approach has a slightly less poppy melodic bent to the Zombie output. There are some absolutely fantastic chugging riffs and weighty beats all the way across this record, and the fact that the vocal work is blended in as part of the sonic texture of the record, rather than being overly prominent really works for me. Some of the later tracks brought to mind some of the more experimental sound design work that Slipknot employed on their self-titled debut, and that grubby, severe brutality of some of the sound design almost bordered on outsider sound art. I can appreciate that’s not for everyone, but for me, an album that makes you feel something that strong is doing something right. I think the fact that this album so successfully blended such a broad range of heavy music styles into such a coherent package, with such a clear sonic identity is a pretty fantastic achievement, and I’m certainly going to spend some more time with this album in the coming weeks, as well as dipping into their back catalogue for more. A thoroughly enjoyable, if occasionally challenging listen that I’m delighted to have been exposed to. N.W.O - This has got some real drive and energy to it. It reminds me a lot of White Zombie. At its core, it’s very repetitive, leaning heavily on the same riff and beat for the duration, but they do break it up here and there and add different bits of instrumentation to give it extra musical and tonal range. The vibe is gritty, with an atmospheric edge to it, but the pulse and impetus of it really drag it forward. Just One Fix - That is a mean riff. It’s got so much drive and punch too, with the well paced beat driving against it. The vocal effects create a very cool texture that I wasn’t expecting. The rhythmic switch-up in the middle is delicious and the use of samples to build up the atmosphere is really strong. I like the added chugs in the riff in the second half, and they play well with timing by adding slower lead guitar work in. Texturally, this is fantastic, with so much grime and grit to it, but enough clarity in the main riff to keep things constantly driving forward. TV II - Some great sound design to introduce this one. Sonically, it’s super cool, and I even like the intensity of the vocal work, but musically, it doesn’t do a lot for me. It’s too frantic and focused on speed over actual musical content. The attitude and vibe are cool, and again, I like the sound design elements in the final third, but as a whole, this one just didn’t connect for me. Hero - But we’re back now. The pace is still in play, but there’s much more musical strength and quality to the riff writing. There are elements of this that remind me of Rammstein, particularly the gang vocals. It’s like a half way house between thrash and industrial, and it’s pretty good stuff. There are cool breakdowns and a continuing intensity. The chopping out of the audio towards the end is so imprecise though, that it’s hard to listen to, which is a massive shame. Jesus Built My Hotrod - Again, this reminds me of Rob Zombie. In fact, it reminds me a hell of a lot of How To Make A Monster. If anything, it’s a bit more gritty and dirty than Zombie’s work, which is impressive. The pace and power of this is fantastic, and the riffs and guitar soloing hit brilliantly too. It’s perhaps a tiny bit samey, but I’m getting so sucked into the drive of the track that frankly, I couldn’t care less. This is great fun, and I love it. Scarecrow - The pace changes up now, and we get something that feels a bit more groove and sound design focused. There are still some solid riffs, but they toy with different elements that you can just about pick out from the pulsing noise. The vocal is semi-shrouded and a real part of the mix, rather than being prominent, which I really like. It’s quite a long one, but I think they do enough work to bring in and out different elements and samples that I kind of got swept up in the hypnotic filth and really enjoyed it without ever getting tired of it. Psalm 69 - It’s delightfully puerile and then lays straight into a grandiose gothic church-coded presentation. The sample work is great too. It’s a considered build and then they drop in a quality riff and beat in a very groove-metal style. The different sections of this don’t really quite gel together particularly successfully for me, which is a shame, because I really like them both, but I would probably prefer them developed into two separate songs. Assessed separately, they’re both fantastic, but miss the mark a little bit when stitched together. Corrosion - Cool sound design work again to kick this off, and then the groove is really powerful and interesting. The roaming, rumbling nature of it is super cool, and the way it builds the sound design elements around it is fantastic. I’m not completely sold on the machine gun bass drum samples, but I guess this was 1992, so is partly down to hardware limitations. It’s super grimy and hypnotic in its general feel and is almost overwhelmingly full in its production. I really dig it though as a piece of aggressive and intense sonic art. Disgustingly lovely. Grace - It’s another interesting sound design piece, and the band have more or less thrown away the idea of typical song structure at this point in favour of building intense, grimy and oppressive sound collages. I tell you what, they’re bloody good at it though, and this is super in-your-face and confrontational. I bet some people would fucking hate this, but to me, something that can evoke such strong reactions is worthy art. It’s making me feel very uncomfortable and itchy under the skin, but I’m absolutely here for it. Crank this up on your headphones and try to stay sane. Wonderful.

I’m not a metal fan, but it’s not the worst thing I’ve ever heard. I’m not the right person to try to judge this genre. I bet some people love it.

3.5★/5 10.11.2026

6/10… industrial / metal / *1992

It's musically alright in places but the whole theme / concept of the album is just a bit lame. Do you have to be some sort of Satanist to enjoy / play this genre of music? I don't think so. Taking this seriously is a bit sad.

Ministry at or near ther best.

i don't like heavy metal./

#253 - I think there might have been a time and a place where I would have enjoyed this and went down a rabbit hole. Jesus Built My Hotrod captured my ear for a good bit, mostly because it was on the first X-Games Soundtrack. I never went out of my way to find any other song from Ministry after that. Its's as if I knew this was going to get old fast. And listening to this album, I felt that way after a bit. I can tell the influences it had on future albums. Parts of this sound a little like Rammstein and I am sure there are others. Metal/Industrial has never been a big listen for me, so I am not really one to get a great review of this album. Biggest Hit - Jesus Built My Hotrod Biggest Miss - Grace Hidden Gem - NWO

From beginning to end this album rips through you. I don't think I've ever heard of this band or album before, but it's going to go into the rotation. The soundscape from Psalm 69 stood out. Industrial metal. 4.5/5

I go back a ways with this one. Ministry was a formative band for me, but I prefer The Land of Rape and Honey and The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste. There was a time when I played all of these albums a lot, but I’ve rarely gone back to this one. It’s fine. Enjoyed this revisit for nostalgia but unlikely to ever listen to it again.

What a delicious Industrial record. Absolutely filling.

Hallelujah... Amen.

Ketelmuziel

3.5

Rechtdoor...🤘

not much creativity just shouting

Well this was a pleasant surprise and a welcome change from the crap this list has turned out last few days. Drums were quite dominant, which is always a winner with me. Some brilliant guitar and music. Lyrics left a bit to be desired but they got the point across. Do what thy wilt and all that..

I loved the atmosphere; it was like the first time playing games like Doom or Heretic as a 6-year-old. A few fuck yeahs during this album. Some banging tracks but the repetition is frustrating on my sensory issues. Industrial is just house music with guitars. New world order, new world order, new world order, new world order, new world order. Just one fix, just one fix, just one fix, just one fix. Hero, hero, hero, hero, hero. Praise Jesus, praise Jesus, praise Jesus. In my eyes that's no different to listening to I Feel Love by Donna Summer. But, to be honest, I like Donna Summer, and I like this. Less repetition and it'd be a 5.

not my cup of tea but it seemed pretty good as far as hard rock albums go

Too much shouting, too much noise. Not really my jam. I suppose if I were into death metal, I'd love it. DNF (2)

Ouvir coisas novas dentro do metal é um dos meus hobbies preferidos, e volte e meia eu descubro coisas interessantes por conta própria. Metal industrial talvez seja o que eu menos tenha explorado em todo esse tempo, e Ministry é uma banda que eu já conhecia por nome, então eu comecei a experiência com uma certa vontade. De cara você vê a real definição do industrial, tem um uso excessivo de samples, palavras faladas e elementos sonoros eletrônicos. A parte do metal é legal porém a estética crua que lembra bastante o Black Metal me incomoda um pouco, além do vocal que propositalmente é colocado como abafado, mas isso é uma questão inteiramente de gosto pessoal. Falando em black metal, as temáticas e certos elementos abordam bastante a questão religiosa, tem todo um contexto do peso das religiões no mundo e, levando em consideração que é um disco de 91, ele permanece bem atual. A parte do final do disco chama bastante atenção, tem todo um aspecto de retrato de purgatório com vozes estridentes e passagens bíblicas usadas de forma satírica, e é outra coisa que a muito tempo já não me desce mais, porém eu consigo entender o contexto pra época pois meu lado religioso não é nenhum pouco fanático, eu realmente consigo ter minha fé e ao mesmo tempo entender certas críticas religiosas que é algo bem comum na música. De forma geral, é um disco bem chamativo e acredito que esse tenha sido um dos grandes motivos pra ter feito barulho, porém eu ainda precisaria me acostumar e muito com Industrial Metal pra esse tipo de trabalho se tornar algo interessante pra mim.

I'm afraid I don't get it! The music is energetic but it drowns out any meaning. It's like taking a spoonful of cinnamon where the whole thing just becomes generic stimulation with no flavor. It seems like they're trying to evoke grand themes without having anything to say at all. Pretty disappointing.

Some really fun ideas that I feel just get too repetitive. Was a fun album for the most part though

Corte que el espantapájaros.

Metelöivää tehdasmetallia, ei aivan omaan makuun mutta siinähän se meni.

Jeesuksen HotRodi oli jollain kummalla tavalla tuttu biisi, ilmeisesti myös tämän levyn "se" biisi. Jumittavaa industriaalia, ei oikein kovin mielenkiintoista musiikkia itelle. Levyn taustat luettua ja kuunnellessa tuli vahva olo, että aika cringeä edgelord-musiikkia. Sitä se varmaanki pääasiassa on. Mielenkiintonen kuunneltava, mutta ei jatkoon omasta puolesta.

Favorite Track: Jesus Built My Hotrod

quite the whiplash coming from Jimmy Smith. also just not my style of music. industrial metal just makes me feel sad? lol.

TL;DR: Top-shelf industrial that makes you feel like you're in The Matrix. BEFORE: This should be fun. I love Ministry and it's great that a bunch of dorks have been forced to listen to this. AFTER: Silly, heavy, catchy, propulsive fun. The music of 90s techno-thriller soundtracks and preposterous vampire nightclubs. Al Jourgensen and co were the masters of this branch of danceable industrial rock, and this marked the end of a golden run through the late 80s to early-90s (although I still think Filth Pig is underrated). Rob Zombie was clearly taking notes. HIGHLIGHTS: Just One Fix is the musical equivalent of Wesley Snipes fighting his way down a corridor. TVII is psychotically intense. Jesus Built My Hotrod is a close as Ministry got to a mainstream hit. It's one of the more intense offerings here with an unhinged vocal from Gibby Haynes. Scare Crow is slower and gnarlier but retains the sinister energy of the other tracks. Psalm 69 is somewhere between industrial and plunderphonics. VERDICT: 5 stars. Awesome.

Música de retardada mental

69 заповедь гласит: что посеешь - то пожнёшь

There were a couple good songs like Scare Crow but the rest was just okay. 6/10

2/10

Really over-the-top and enjoyable. Made my lunch break very exciting

I was originally hooked. I liked the guitar tone and the drums and the angry overall sound it created. But overtime it got repetitive, especially with the same drum loops playing over in each song. It began to feel as if they were making loud, angry music just to be loud and angry with very little thought put into it. If you want something like this go listen to Slayer or something man they do it so much better

Ok

Eu sei lá mano, tem quem goste de metal industrial, eu não consigo. Me dá enxaqueca.

not my style

Too shouty for my liking

This album is one of the best introductions to Industrial music out there. Top marks.

Hät paar banger aber teils wück tot. Chli Abwächslig au wichtig

sooo unglaublich corny. wie chammer so en scheiss lose und das guet oder lustig finde. Han be jesus built my hotrod müsse uufhöre.

Have I listened to this album before No How familiar am I with this album Completely unfamiliar How do I feel about this artist? I’ve never heard of them Pre-Listen Thoughts: Judging by the words “industrial metal” I don’t think I’m going to like this. I’ll try to get through it, maybe it will surprise me. Favorite track(s): N/A Post-Listen Thoughts: It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but it is so not my genre. I was kind of dreading this, I thought it would be painful to listen to and it wasn’t. I got through it OK but it’s not something I would ever go back to.

industrial metal, 1992 -> 1

N.W.O. 3.4 Just One Fix 3 TV II 2.8 Hero 3 Jesus Built My Hotrod 3.1 Scare Crow 3 Psalm 69 3 Corrosion 2.7 Grace 2.4 Score: 2.933333333

72/100. Some outrageous material on this record, some of it very childish. But I really enjoyed this record. The instrumentation went hard. Industrial metal done right, messy but full of energy and good riffs. I haven’t listened to Ministry before, so this was a pretty good introduction.

Fun record, and brings back great 90s memories

7/10

Could. Not. Listen. More. Than. 15. Seconds.

This would be fine without the vocals. Not my genre.

is "jesus built my hotrod" the spiritual successor to the trashmen's "bird is the word"? food for thought.

I actually enjoyed this more than I expected to, not being an industrial metal fan by any means. I did recognize "Jesus Built My Hotrod," and it holds up.

Terrible noise

Why does this album sound like sonic the hedgehog music

#136 musically it's alright! it made me laugh a couple of times. cool stuff! ಄ average track rating: 2.4/5 ಄ favourite track(s): NWO, jesus built my hotrod ಄ least favourite track(s): TV II ಄ album rating: ★★☆☆☆ ಄ number of albums left to review: 953 ಄ number of albums i agree with being on the list: 58 ಄ albums from the list that i would consider for my list: 26 ಄ albums i would not include on my list: 110

An intense album I didn’t like

5/10

Turns out I like industrial metal. It helps that the songs are pretty melodic.

For as overbearing as the religious references are in the song and album titles and the artwork, it's difficult to catch many of the lyrical references due to the mostly unintelligible vocals. "Jesus Built my Hotrod" is one exception, but the chorus almost makes that one feel like a novelty song next to everything else. This really hurts that album because the mechanical riffs that repeat throughout each song, and which all sound a bit similar, are not interesting enough to carry this album on their own. The final portion of the title track switches things up and acts as a nice climax and the most interesting moment on the album. But the rest just sounds like a mess, and a fuzzy one at that.

I've tried to get into Ministry a few times with little success, and I new this album was on this list so I patiently waited ~950 albums to give it another chance. And I am happy to say it finally clicked. Such a unique and interesting sound. It kinda sounds dumb, but cool like in a Primus way. This album also reminds be of NAILBOMB. My only complaint is that a lot of the songs sound similar, but it is such a unique sound that I am fine with it. Low 5!

Very bad

Unsurprisingly, this starts hard right out of the gate. The driving rhythm section of the first song reminded me of a primus song that had a baby with a NIN song. I had no idea I liked industrial music until I listened to this album.

I hated this so so much

Didn't like it

N.w.o. - 4 Just one fix - 5 Tv ii - 3 Hero - 4 Jesus built my hotrod - 4 Scare crow - 3 Psalm 69 - 3 Corrosion - 3 Grace - 2

Kin el, that were a bit of a din. Not saying I didn’t like it, but it was draining just listening to it. May revisit though

May I please give this album 6 stars? As I drove in to work listening to this album I had to resist the urge to crank the volume to annoying levels. These guys are one of my favorite bands. This album is one of my all time favorites, although I will be the first to admit that Ministry’s output is uneven. But, good news, there’s a lot of it! So between Ministry and the many many side projects, there is a ton of great and meh tunes they’ve gifted to the world. I’ve seen them in concert three times, and bought tickets to four concerts. The fourth one was cancelled at last minute due to “illness”, and the crowd exited through riot police that had gathered outside in case the crowd got ornery (we did not get ornery). The last time I was in Chicago I visited The Museum Of Post Punk & Industrial Music, which is operated by living legend Martin Atkins (former drummer for Ministry, among a lengthy resume), and that place had a lot of Ministry stuff among other whatnot. Definitely worth a visit if you’re a big fan of that kind of thing. Some people describe a before and after of their life being changed when they saw Elvis or The Beatles on TV. For me it was watching a VHS copy of Ministry’s concert film In Case You Didn’t Feel Like Showing Up in a friend’s basement in high school (it’s been forever since I watched it, so I have no idea if it’s aged well or poorly).

Fine. Not for me, but it’s not bad for what it is.

Not my thing, but I liked it all right. I never really got into growly metal vocals. The guitar playing is great

Death rock heavy metal. Not into it.

Anyone who was into metal back in the early to mid 90s will definitely remember this album. It presented metal in a whole new way, merging metal’s aggression with electronic music’s machine like precision. The thrash style guitars are heavily processed and distorted, looped and chopped in a way that feels mechanical. The drumming is a combination of live drumming with programmed beats. One of the album’s most defining features is its use of sampling of political speeches, televangelists, movie clips, and noise loops are scattered throughout, giving it a chaotic edge. This album really pushed metal beyond its traditional limits. And while I’ll admit I’m pretty burned out on it these days, there’s no denying it made its mark and had a major impact at the time.

Wtf (laudatory)

errr not my vibe reallly. little too intense for my morning sippy time